November

Trying to catch up on some blogging... not sure I can ever stay on top of this.

FALL BALL
One of the first fun things I did in November was the Fall Ball. It was a rooftop tailgate party to support Linda's Hope which provides for research and support for families affected by pancreatic cancer. It was a lot of fun, but the first really cold night of the winter. We watched some of the SEC football games (LSU beat UA) with other Auburn & SEC fans and then danced under the heaters to the great band.



CMA Award Show
Somewhat last minute I decided that since I am living in Nashville this year, I should try and go to the CMA award show. Happy to find there were tickets still available and I recruited Katie and Ashley to join me. It was a lot of fun! It was interesting to see what all people decided to wear and then also to see some of the behind the scenes things you don't see on TV. Our seats were a little high and far away, but well worth it. I'll just save up for floor seats next year! And so happy Lady Antebellum took home a few awards.



AU vs. GA
Another great Auburn Victory... 11-0.

Campbell and I at the reverse Tiger walk on Friday

My college friends Lauren & Sarah

Pharmacy Friends Anna & Jessica



Thanksgiving

I worked the weekend before, the weekend after and Thanksgiving day, but I still managed to make it to Birmingham for the Golden side meal and fellowship. Pictures to come...

and last, but not least: IRON BOWL 2010
What can I say...I was ready to cry in the second quarter, even though I trusted the team would come back. The victory was sweet. And to top it off, it was my mom's birthday and I found her yelling "Happy Birthday to Me!" at the end of the game!
Tiger Walk

Toomer's at 10:30 Friday night

It's that time of the year...

for Christmas Cards!! I love going to my mailbox each day now to see what new Christmas card is awaiting me. Especially when it is a super cute christmas card from Shutterfly. The Compton Family used this design this year and it turned out so beautiful.
I can't wait to see which one The Sprayberry Family chooses. And yes Kimmie, I don't mind giving you my address for the 10th time this year, as long as I see Isaac's cute face on a card in my mailbox soon!!
Shutterfly has many other great products that make great holiday gift ideas. A few years ago I used their website to make a photo calendar for mom. I also enjoy using their website year round to make a photo book of special events. I made one for Andy & Richelle's Wedding this year and it turned out great! And I put the 20 page book together in just about one night... very easy!
I'm not sure exactly what we will include on the Golden Family Christmas card this year, but I have a feeling it will include the beautiful wedding, UNCC college golf and of course our adventures cheering on our #1 Auburn Tigers. War Eagle!
Mom and I should have our card created soon and on its way to a mailbox near you...

*Special thanks to Shutterfly for a promotion code for 50 free cards as a result of sharing how much I love their website on my blog.

Work Hard, Play Hard

I have been burning the candle at both ends for the last few months!! Since the beginning of Sept, I have only been in Nashville 3 days that I was not working... Been to 2 out-of-town weddings and 6 Auburn football games and worked 3 weekends. Traveling is exhausting, but it has been worth it - especially since Auburn is 11 and 000000000000!!!

A few pics from the AU-ARK game:


AU-LSU game:



Carrie Underwood concert - October 10th - Nashville - The girls (Katie, Kimmie & Joy) = A blast!!


My cousin, Ken's wedding:


More pictures to come from the CMA Award Show, Fall Ball and the AU-GA game...but for now, I must go to bed!

3rd place finish

Will placed 3rd in his tournament in California this week!! 10 under for the tournament! And the team took home 4th

Will's film debut

o http://www.golfweek.com/videos/2010/oct/27/669/

Lights....CAMERON...Action!

http://www.cam2newton.com/ Exciting week in Auburn Football - #1 in BCS and an awesome quarterback who is breaking records left and right on his way to being a finalist for the Heisman Trophy. "A cam shall lead them all"...

I believe in Auburn and love it!

GameDay Date with Campbell

Campbell and I were able to go to the AU-LA Monroe game together a few weeks ago. She was SO excited that morning when I went to pick her up and told me thank you for making her day!! We tailgated for a little bit and then she made it through the 3rd quarter of the game after taking a power nap at halftime on my lap. I don't think she watched a single play of the game, but sure enjoyed all the other festivities going on. All in all it was a lot of fun!

Cute video

My cousin sent me this video... For me it's more like, all my girlfriends are already married... I don't exactly share the same feelings as this artist, as I will be ready for a new last name when the Lord brings Him into my life!! :-) Waiting patiently...(most days).

Joanna Smith
 
More CMT Music
 
More CMT Music Videos

And one of my pledge sisters is in this video!

More pictures from AU-Clem game

Did you know... that Coach Heisman was at Auburn in the late 1890's and gave us our nickname, Tigers. He then went to Clemson in 1900... took them some old Auburn practice jersey's that were orange on top and blue bottoms. Once they washed the pants, they faded to purple... hence the Orange and Purple "Tigers" of Clemson...Make of it what you will. At least we have a tiger paw that's upright!

Auburn-Clemson Game

Nerve-wrecking game, but oh so fun to come out with a victory!!




"all I do is win" - everbody's hands go up!
More pictures to come from ESPN Gameday and tailgating!
WAR EAGLE!


ESPN Gameday at Auburn; On-Air Personality Kirk Herbstreit says Auburn unlike any SEC town
Posted: Sep 17, 2010 4:07 PM CDT

AUBURN, AL (WTVM) - The kickoff for Auburn University's football game is just about 24 hours away and the ESPN crew is in Auburn ready for tomorrow's big game day show.

Entering the state of Alabama, ESPN's game day crew says the SEC is unlike any conference, and Auburn, is unlike any town. Kirk Herbstreit says, "We were debating last night between Auburn and Athens and some of the other sec towns and from an ESPN perspective I gotta tell you Auburn has the edge over the other towns."

ESPN on-air personalities Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler both say they know they're in Auburn...the minute their foot hits the ground. Fowler says, "It's hard to put a finger on it but it's..there's this close bond here between generations between alums who come back to the school there really is a kind of family feel, there's a real passion for the tigers."

"You can feel the tradition you can feel it whether we came here 10 or 20 years ago, whether we're here now as soon as you step on the campus it exudes tradition," added Herbstreit.

But it's not just the tradition of Auburn that fans and national sportscasters love, it's the heart.

"I think there's something special in the connection that people feel for this school and how it's maintained years after they leave." Says Fowler.

Herbstreit says the kindness of Auburn fans is everywhere, "We went to a restaurant last night that's just quaint, it's just a nice college town people are very friendly I could see how it you live in the south you would want your son or daughter to come to this school."

Fall = Football and Weddings

2 weddings down, 2 more to go... 1 of 7 home games down that I am attempting to attend...
1st wedding - Jessica and Brandon Blair in Tuscaloosa, AL. Beautiful wedding. The reception seemed like a football game with all the cheering going on since the groom and half the wedding attendants were for Auburn and the bride and the other half of guests were for Alabama. Loved Brandon's Cake!


2nd wedding - Savannah and Brian Boyd in Greensboro, GA. Another beautiful wedding and a really fun weekend trip. Thursday night started off with an Auburn Tailgate/Wedding kickoff party for the Miss St. game. Thankful to pull off a win. Cute Savannah even had toilet paper with a bride & groom on them for us to roll the tree afterwards. Friday I was able to do some shopping and spend quality time with Miss Campbell. The wedding was at the new Methodist church in town and the reception at The Ritz at Reynolds plantation - so beautiful! The band was awesome - called Big Blast! On Sunday I was able to stop in Atlanta and have lunch with my friends Miller and Kimberly Chalk and then surprise Sarah while she was working at Publix!


First home game was fun - Isaac secretely wished he was dressed in orange and blue... Looking forward to Clemson this weekend - Go Tigers, that is the orange and BLUE type!

COUNTDOWN...

TO AUBURN FOOTBALL!! 3 days 21 hours 33 minutes 45 seconds...
It really doesn't seem that less than 4 short days I will be cheering on my tigers in Jordan Hare, but it's that time again! I'm really excited I will be able to go to the first game and hopefully most this season. I love all the hype and excitement around the beginning of the season:


I think it's going to be a great season... 2nd year of new coaching staff, preseason rank 22, Herbstreit's pick to win the West, and top notch recruiting class! WAR EAGLE!

Prayer Request

My sweet grandmother (mom's mom) is going to have a heart cath tomorrow in Auburn to figure out why she has been short of breath lately... I ask that you keep her in your thoughts and prayers. I pray the Lord's peace will be her comfort during the procedure and that if needed they will be able to intervene during the cath and not involve another surgery. Thanks!

UPDATE: My grandmother had absolutely NO blockage and her heart function is just fine. Such an answer to prayer!

Photo book from Andy & Richelle's Wedding

Click here to view this photo book larger

Names

So, I've been in the NICU (neonatal intensive care unit) this month and have learned a thing or two about names... The babies start out as first name, bb or bg for baby boy or baby girl. Sometimes they add a "middle name" of bu or ob for baby unborn or outborn (to indicate where they were delivered at). So it's funny calling the baby "bg ob smith" for a while. But it doesn't take long for the offical name to show up in cute, crafty letters (the night nurses have a lot of time on their hands) on their door.
The biggest thing I have learned about names this month is what NOT to name your new child! I sure hope to not offend anyone if you like these names. I like most names - the traditional ones and the newer age/ last name phenomenon. But these are a little different...
For example: Twin girls named "Morning Glory" and "Sunshine." Twin boys Chris and Christopher - nice name, but confusing! Next comes baby Nevaeh - that's heaven spelled backwards. Baby Perfecto is a favorite. Miracale is also popular these days. How about La-A for ladasha. How is that kid going to fill out a scantron in school? And finally, Dalasone - for "the last one!" I know there are many more that I'm not remembering right now, but I sure hope you got a good laugh out of this. Only a few more days left in the NICU - then onto the PICU-Cards!

FAITH

I'm working through a book called "Walking By Faith - Lessons Learned in the Dark". I read a great but simple truth today: "Never forget that:
In the garden, He pursued us,
In the ark, He protected us,
In the wilderness, He provided for us,
On the cross, He proved to us that He alone is worthy of ultimate trust"

update

Things are going well here in Nashville. I really enjoyed the month of orientation in July - working 7-3 was a great change from my 10-12+ hour days in Charleston. I finished up all of the training and started in the NICU last week. I'll be there for all of August and then to the cardiology PICU in Sept.
Enjoying catching up with old friends and making some new ones. Looking for a church as well and there are many great ones to choose from! I've been going to Brentwood Baptist a good bit and will probably end up there. They have a young professionals ministry/service on Tuesday nights that usually has over 1000 in attendance, which is really exciting!
Counting down the days to Auburn Football - should be able to make it home for 4-5 games! WAR EAGLE!

Nashville apartment

Kimmie - here are the pictures you asked for! My new apartment in Nashville:

wedding pictures are in!

Andy & Richelle's professional pictures are in! They're great!

First week at Vandy

The week was not so bad - it was great to be back in Orientation mode and have very little stress again! My first day I was able to see Bo Bice play at the Children's Hospital - it was so nice of him to come and try and cheer up all the sick kids. Excited about other stars that will show up at Children's here this year...


I have spent the lst 3 days in computer training - thankful Vanderbilt has the same program I used at MUSC, just more high-tech with CPOE and other features. 3 more weeks of training and then I start off in the NICU for August!

Farewell MUSC

PGY-1 year is over... sad to leave my friends in Charleston, but excited to see where the future leads. I have pictures from our Residency Ceremony/last day and then a collection of pictures that Carol put together for everyone.

Moving in 2 1/2 days!

I can and can't believe my time here in Charleston is coming to an end. It was a long hard year, but yet if flew by! It is somewhat bitter sweet to be leaving as I will miss the friends I have made here. While I have learned a lot at MUSC, I am excited to be done with my time there. I know Vandy/Nashville will be a good change and a fresh start - hopefully it will give me the motivation to complete another year of residency!
My mom came last weekend to help we pack and we were very productive - had my entire place packed up in 2 days. I was so thankful for her help and could not have done it without her. Having that behind me has allowed me to de-stress some and enjoy the last few days of Charleston. I have managed to eat at many great restaurants over the past 2 weeks - trying to get it all in at the last minute - and have probably managed to gain a few pounds in the process! My community group took me to dinner last week and then I was able to hang out with several of them over the weekend - more good food and kayaking! We went kayaking in Shem Creek in Mt. pleasant - it was so fun. pictures will be coming soon. Some of my favorite restaurants have been: COAST, Basil, The Fat Hen, Cru Cafe, and Amen Street.
Friday night we had our annual residency roast - a chance for the preceptors to roast us and then for us to roast them - it was hilarious! We came up with several funny skits and a whole presentation of celebrity look alikes. My cheeks hurt so bad at the end of the night from laughing so hard.
Anyway, movers are coming Wed right after work to load the Uhaul and then we will pull out Thursday morning. It should be about a 9 hr drive to Nashville, so it will be a long day. Hopefully I can get settled on Fri and Sat and hopefully try and make it to the lake with the family on Sun/Mon. I start at Vandy on Tuesday!

More pictures

Here are a few more pictures from the weekend/reunion weekend. It was quite busy! Enjoyed seeing all of my friends and family. It rained 3 1/2 inches on Saturday, so the wedding had to be moved inside Fountainview, but it still turned out great - Andy & Richelle didn't seem to mind. They are still honeymooning in Mexico. I was exhausted after the wedding, but managed to get enought energy to go to my 10 year high school reunion. It was great to see everyone. I wish we could have had a better turn out, but it was still good. It did seem like a wierd dream to be back around all of those people! Sunday and Monday we went to the lake to relax and see more of the family. Katie, Campbell and Ben also stopped by on Monday - we took Campbell on a boat ride and she absolutely loved it. I returned to Charleston Tuesday night to start my MICU rotation Wed... I can't believe I only have a few more weeks here! A lot of things to wrap up with the residency, pack and then move July 1st!

Wedding Pictures

Here are some of the pictures from Andy and Richelle's wedding this weekend! We'll have more soon. It's been a great weekend - very busy! Sad to go back to Charleston tomorrow... will update soon with details and the rest of the weekend's events.

just a few more days...

I'm on call this weekend, then 3 more days in the PICU, then I get to go home for 6 days!!!! I am SO excited and this is the only thing that has gotten me through the last few weeks. Things have been a little rough - a combination of being burned out, very tired, and feeling like my brain cannot possibly absorb any more information. Because of the wedding and the high school reunion I will get to see ALL of my family and ALL of my best friends from home... plus their adorable children.
One cute story to share - Katie called me earlier this week to tell me something that Campbell had said... The previous night, there was both a frog and a rabbit outside of Campbell's house. Katie said she was SO obsessed with them and kept looking at them all night. The next morning on their way to bible study, Campbell said, "Mommy, we need to pray - we need to pray for the frog and for the rabbit, and for jess!" I'm so proud to be in the list of things Campbell is thinking about these days... The Lord knows how rough things have been for me lately, so maybe he put me on her heart! Precious. I love you Campbell and can't wait to see you VERY soon!

Blog slacker

So, I admit I am a blog slacker. Residency life does not allow the luxury of having time to type my out my thoughts, much less think about anything other than residency! But things are going well... just started in the Peds ICU this month - its going to be a tough month, but I will learn a lot. Only 1 1/2 months to go...
Update on plans for next year - for those of you that don't know, I will be moving to Nashville July 1st to start a 2nd year pharmacy residency in pediatrics at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. I am a little burned out right now with residency, but am looking forward to learning more about pediatric pharmacy. Hopefully my schedule will be less demanding during the program there.
I will certainly miss Charleston, even though I don't get to enjoy it as much as I would like! I love driving over the harbor each day to and from work. I hope to soak up some beach time before July 1st.

Other life happenings:
Andy's wedding is in 3 weeks, along with my 10-yr high school reunion - looking forward to being home for several days.
Will was able to return to college golf for the spring season and played in most of the tournaments - they are heading to NCAA Regionals next week. His pacemaker hasn't worked like they thought - still turned up high and the leads aren't connected quite right as they sometimes stimulate his pectoral muscles, which is quite annoying. He will likely have it replaced this summer - but this time with an endocardial version.
My great friends, Katie, Kimmie and Joy came to see me in Charleston in March - we had a great time together - I somewhat wish I was moving back to Birmingham to be closer to them! But the Lord knows what is best for me...
My friends Zac & Allison Boman adopted an adorable little girl from Russia and finally made it home with her last month - check out their blog "Home called Grace." I'm so excited for their family.

Well, that's all I have time for right now. Maybe I'll get back into this blog thing...